


Fire on the Open Waters

by TwilightFox



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Cooking time, F/M, Fluff, Meeting the Family, No Beta, What are timelines?, we die like Louisoix
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:00:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23490556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwilightFox/pseuds/TwilightFox
Summary: Submissions for the Wondrous Tails bingo challenge on Tumblr.
Relationships: Warrior of Light/Thancred Waters
Kudos: 13





	1. Meeting Minfilia

**Author's Note:**

> This submission was for "Meet the Parents," however, since neither of the characters involved have parents, I went with the spirit of the prompt and used Minfilia instead.

Thancred is not prone to nervousness as a general rule. Cautiousness, yes, perhaps an overabundance, given his usual tasks, but nervousness no. Often, far too much is on the line for him to even think of indulging in feeling, or admitting to, nervousness. Minfilia needs him to be calm and assured, to provide her with the best guidance and information that he can.

Standing in the Antecedant’s room in the Waking Sands, Minfilia standing behind her desk, and Twila, the Warrior of Light, Primal Slayer, and so many other titles he could refer to her as (the dearest title being ‘My Love’, etched into his heart), standing beside him, perhaps it was time to admit there that he was feeling a bit of nerves over the situation. The two dearest women in his life look at him with expectant gazes, a soft, warm smile on Minfilia’s face, while Twila’s has a mischievous tinge to it.

“You wished to meet with us, Thancred?” Minfilia prompts him gently. “Is anything the matter?”

“Ah. Yes. Well…” He fights to urge to rub the back of his neck and instead clears his throat. “I thought it was time to formally introduce the two women in my life to one another.”

Mirth is woven in Twila’s voice as she speaks up, leaning forward ever so slightly and clasping her arms behind her back. “But, Thancred, we’ve clearly already met. She’s Minfilia, leader of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, and I’m a member of the Scions.”

He points a finger at her. “That is not what I mean and you know it.” With a sigh and suppressing the itch to rub his face, Thancred continues on with his self-appointed mission. “Twila, as you have no doubt gathered, I have known Minfilia for many years. I have kept watch over her when possible. She is the closest thing to kin that I have in this world. When I would visit Ul’dah, it was often to observe Minfilia and ensure her safety.”

“Minfilia.” He turns his attention to the woman who has become the younger sister of his heart. “I may have neglected to mention that Twila and I were acquaintances from years ago. I knew her differently at the time, but she is someone who kept me company and offered me shelter during my stays in Ul’dah.” He leaves out how she kept him company, conversing with him, letting him rest in her chambers at the inn while she studied her magic. That is a level of intimacy he does not want to share with Minfilia.  
Minfilia’s face softens as she nods, weaving her fingers together in front of her. “That was why you were so concerned after the Calamity…”

It’s a reminder of how when business took him to Ul’dah, he would ask Momodi if there was any news related to Carmine, if she heard any word. As a Viera adventurer, Carmine would have stood out as a bit of an anomaly. Each time, the Lalafell sent him away with nothing, just a shake of the head. In time, he assumed she fell during the Calamity, and mourned her passing in the brief moments he had to himself, during the late hours of the evening. If any number of his following partners possessed red hair or had a penchant for fire magic, well that was something Thancred kept to himself.

“Yes, I’d been unaware that she’d made off to Gridania under a new name. Silly me.”

“You were gone for so long, I figured you’d already forgotten me and were moving onto better people. I hadn’t realized that you were trying to help save the world from imminent destruction.” Twila straightens up, her smile’s glow dimming. “I just knew the world needed healers, plus, one of my suppliers for wax wanted me to visit Gridania and look into botany.” She waves a hand dismissively. “But I doubt that is why you wanted us to meet today.”

“No…” Thancred chooses his words carefully. There are many things that he and Twila need to discuss, but those topics call for more privacy than this. “I asked to meet, because I wanted the two dearest women in my life to meet...And, I am hoping, to approve of each other.”

Minfilia smiles at him and starts to walk around the desk. “Oh Thancred… This is wonderful news and I can think of no one more worthy than her, but I must admit, I have known full well where our precious Warrior stood with you.” He watches the women share a glance. “I have known since I met her the strings that bound you to her in the past.”

That is not the answer Thancred is expecting. “You have.”

“Yes, Thancred. When she became a member of the Scions, through the Echo, I saw a memory of hers. It was nothing unsavory, just something where she was reading a book and you were sitting on the bed, your head in her lap.”

Twila clears her throat and chimes in. “I saw Minfilia as well. Though the memory I saw had her being less than pleased with you.”

The Echo. While he knows that both have the gift, that it exists, he still forgets from time to time that they do share it, even in similar manifestations. “Does that mean you have known about each other all this while?”

“Yes, although not that I was so dear to you, Thancred. That part is new.” Twila giggles, a joyous sound that she tries to muffle by hiding her mouth behind her hand. The sound is a reminder of the time he spent with her as Carmine, before she became the seemingly serene Warrior of Light that he knows now. It warms his heart to know that that part of her is still there. “But,” she continues,”it is welcome news nonetheless.”

“So I could have avoided this conversation entirely.”

“No. I think it is wonderful.” Minfilia reaches out, bringing Thancred into a hug. “I was only waiting to hear it from you.” The act of affection is rare from the woman, so it takes him a little longer to catch up to her actions, wrapping his arms around her in a loose hug.

“In case I did not make it clear, while you have never needed it, you have my blessing as far as Twila is concerned.” Minfilia’s voice is a whisper that Thancred manages to catch, and is certain Twila catches. “I wish you two all the happiness the Twelve can grant you.”

“Thank you, Minfilia.” 

Minfilia draws back from the hug. “Now, if this is all, I do need to talk to our dear Warrior about some reports I have received regarding the beast tribes’ recent activities.”

Recognizing a dismissal when he hears it, Thancred bows slightly. “Then I shall be on my way. Don’t let me keep you.” He turns to leave, only for Twila to grasp his wrist, sliding her hand down to grab his and lean in, murmuring, “I thought that meeting the family came after defining the relationship.”

Thancred smiles and squeezes her hand before pulling away. “We can always have that discussion later.” There is no name to what they are, and Thancred is in no rush to define it. She is his love, and that is more than enough.


	2. Cooking Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please forgive me if I got the timeline wrong. This is pre-Calamity. Also, while the name is different, Carmine is the same as the WoL in the previous piece, Twila.

Under normal circumstances, Carmine would have been more than content with shelling out some gil for whatever the Quicksand had available to eat, just for the convenience of having it so close to the inn. However, even before she reached the doors, she heard the cacophonous chatter on the other side and winced at the idea of opening the door, because the sounds would only get worse.

Pushing the door open, she found what she feared, an overwhelming number of adventurers, filling up far too much of the tavern, taking up almost every surface. People lingered in almost every possible space, including the walkways along the perimeter. With the crowd and noise, there was no place for her to go and enjoy Momodi’s food and drink, if she was able to get close enough to even order.

The long ears stretching out above her head twitched as she sorted out her options. She could attempt to fight her way to the counter, but that came with the risk of having her brand destroyed or setting someone’s robe on fire, plus the rest of the tavern, and then getting kicked out. The idea of having to search for a new place because she burnt the old one down did not sit well with her.

That left her with the less convenient option of heading to the Sapphire Exchange and either seeing what was available there to eat or to see what she could scramble together with the ingredients that were available. She looked down at her purse and the gil inside. There were some coins, but not as many as she would have liked, which meant it was time for her to cook.

Sighing, she stepped through the door to start to make her way through the ground, when she heard a familiar voice say “Ah, there you are,” and felt an arm loop around her own. Carmine’s first instinct was to pull her arm away and attempt to cast fire on someone, but luckily her brain caught up quickly.

There was only person in all of Ul’dah who would take the liberty of grabbing her like that and could get away with that. 

Glancing over to her side, she confirmed that it was indeed one Thancred Waters who was at her side, smiling warmly at her.

Carmine relaxed and returned the smile with one of her, a much softer version. “Good evening, Thancred. I take it you were looking for me?” It wasn’t often that Thancred came looking for her specifically. More often than not, he would approach Carmine when they happened to be at the Quicksand at the same time, when he wasn’t busy with work.

“I was hoping you might indulge me with your company this evening.” 

“I’m surprised. Usually this is when I see you flitting around, to and fro like a social butterfly,” she teased, leaning against his arm.

“Yes, well, frankly, I would rather not smell like cheap ale tonight. With the crowd, I doubt that many drinks are going to stay in their mugs.” He gestured with his free hand to the others around them, including a rather enthusiastic Roegadyn woman who flung her arms about wildly, her drink spilling out of her mug and falling onto the head of the poor Lallafell beside her. 

Carmine grimaced at that, feeling a certain pity for the smaller male. “Understandable.”

“I also realized,” Thancred continued, “that it was around the time that you tend to come down for dinner. And what better way to spend an evening than in the presence of someone such as yourself?”

It was true that she was a creature of habit where possible, attempting to sup at the same time each day. Her schedule served as a bit of structure, to keep her from getting too engrossed in her thaumaturgy studies. It also allowed her to sort out how much time she had for other things, such as preparing lip colors for sale or going outside of the walls for a guild assignment or to go mining. That he remembered her schedule teetered between making her feel flattered and making her the slightest bit uncomfortable that anyone was paying that close of attention to her.

“I can think of many things, sweet talker.” The air grew stifling, prompting Carmine to look at the doors that lead out of the tavern. “Given the crowd, and my coin, I was deciding to try and cook tonight. If you’re willing to bear with me, and help, I should be able to muster together something for the two of us, if that suits you.”

Placing his free hand over his chest, Thancred gave a light bow. “I am ever at the lady’s disposal.” As he rose back up, he nodded his head to the door. “Shall we be off?”

Carmine agreed and noticed in mild amusement that Thancred took the lead, using his body to help make a path for her through the crowd, their arms still linked together. It helped that Thancred seemed to have away of slipping through gaps, something Carmine noticed when she observed him interacting with others. There was a grace about the way he would seem to appear and disappear, sliding between the spaces between people with ease. It was something that was likely to go unnoticed unless one was, well, intent on noticing the Hyur.

The air that greeted Carmine when they finally made it outside was only slightly less warm than that of inside, but it had the benefit of not being the same stale air everyone else was breathing in. The environment was easier on her ears as well, the noises fading until they were just the standard white noise of Ul’dah, blending in with the usual ambiance of the city.

Thancred unhooked his arm from hers, waving his hand in the direction of the market. “I believe you had something in mind, so if you will lead the way.”

She bit back her response, a confession that she did not have something in mind. The Twelve help her, but Thancred was someone oddly enough that she wanted to like and respect her...Among other things. She would just need to hope that something struck her fancy and quickly.

The markets, for all their loud sounds, served as third home to Carmine, the first being the Hourglass and the second being the Arrzanth Ossuary. Afternoons were spent wandering through the stalls, looking at the wares and selling some of her own, such as the ore she picked up while mining. While thaumaturgy was her passion, mining was one of the ways she kept a roof over her head and food in her stomach while she furthered her studies. Turned out, the people in Ul’dah really liked copper to make their shiny baubles with. 

The scents of spices fill the air as they get closer, bringing with it a pang of homesickness with it. If she was home, Ymir home, not her little room in Ul’dah, Carmine knew she would be able to make a delicious meal, surrounded by the tools and tastes that were familiar to her. She would have any number of beasts to hunt and the knowledge of how everything went together. 

That was a problem no one spoke to her about before she broke the Green Word, that when going out into the rest of the world, she would encounter all different and strange food and ingredients and would not know how to combine them. No one warned her that she would no longer be able to find the foods she was accustomed to or that she would no longer be able to afford them if she did.

Luckily, there were some Eorzean dishes she found that were close enough to some of the dishes of her childhood that she could make that Thancred might approve of. Her lips pursed together as she racked through the recipes she knew until she came across one that was promising.

“Thancred, darling, do you have any aversions to mint, but any chance?” She asked, glancing at him. His posture seemed relaxed enough at a quick look, but Carmine caught how his gaze darted around, as though looking for early signs of trouble. When he looked back at her, an easy smile graced his face.

“It is a lifesaver here in Ul’dah. One of the few ways to survive the heat. May I ask what you have in mind?”

Carmine smiled, reaching for Thancred’s hand, as she sped up, focusing on one particular stall. “It will depend on what strings I can pull. But I would like to try to make some mutton with some mint sauce. I may need to put you to work for the side dish.”

“I live to serve.”

“I bet you say that to all of your lady companions.” She only let go of his hand once they reached the destination, the merchant stall for Katherine. Her posture straightened as she waved a hand in greeting to the culinarian. “Good evening, Katherine.”

“Hello, Carmine. Is there something I can help you with today?”

A few minutes and a more than a few gil later, as well as a promise for a delivery of rock salt, Carmine was armed with mutton, mint jelly and leaves, vegetables, milk, as well as mint lassi for the two of them to drink. That was the joy of mining, she could save a bit of money by trading supplies and at this point, Katherine knew she was good for it.

“If I didn’t know any better, I would say that you are about to cook for an army.” Thancred reached over and took some of the heavier items from her on their stroll back to the inn.

“I never know how hungry people get, so unless it’s just me, I like to cook extra.” Plus, her village made food in bulk for everyone. It was a hard habit to break. It also meant that she would have leftovers, provided that she and Thancred were only interested in one serving.

The journey back to her room took longer than Carmine would have liked, too many people blocking the way from the entrance of the Quicksand to the entrance of the Hourglass, which meant being stuck in the loud noises that hurt her ears for longer than necessary. Thancred proved a soothing presence, once again guiding her through the crowds.

The room she had at the Hourglass was nothing special, just a standard room with a bed, an armoire, dresser and table. Scattered across the table were her tomes regarding thaumaturgy, as well as her tools for experimenting with her lip colors. Blowing a strand of hair out of her face, Carmine set the food down near the table and gathered up as many things as she fit in her arms, dropping on the bed. 

“I see your room is as lived in as ever.”

“Yes, well-” She turned around, watching Thancred picking up her alchemy equipment with far more care than she would have. “I live here, so I would expect it to look lived in. Just place that on the night stand. Please.”

From at the foot of the table, where her cooking tools currently lived, Carmine grabbed a shallow metal bowl, the center charred black, and set it on the table. From the bag from Katherine, she retrieved some small pieces of wood that fit into the bottom of the bowl. A smile came across her face in anticipation as she pulled her brand from its place at her side, tucked into her belt. “Please stay where you are,” she requested, closing her eyes to focus, on the fire aspected aether within and around her. A warmth filled her, not unlike the nice feeling that settled over her when she curled up in front of a fire on a chilly evening, or the way her chest felt after a nice sip of alcohol. With those thoughts in mind, she concentrated on channeling the aether both within and without to a single point in space and time, the wood within the bowl in front of her, and that wood alone.

The fire in her mind wanted to expand, burn everything down, become an inferno, but she forced the image to remain small, just enough to lightly burn in the bowl.

“Fire.”

Everything fled in that instant, the aether zipping through her body, to her brand, and to the bowl, igniting the wood in a snap that she heard. Opening her eyes, she found a small fire within the bowl and let out a sigh of relief, reaching out to let the table take some of her weight to keep her up.

“Useful little trick.” Thancred sauntered back to the table, bending to grab the bag and set the ingredients on the table.

“It is when I can focus enough to keep it small.” A fireball was easy enough to manage. All Carmine needed to do was channel the energy and point at her target. If it missed the target a little or if it got a little more powerful than intended, then that it was alright. The intense focus needed to light up a piece of wood wasn’t needed for a fireball. “I can’t always keep the focus needed to keep it in check."

"Did you have a plan had it gone awry?"

"Cast ice and pray."

"Lovely." He replied dryly. "I feel so reassured."

The two of them spread out the ingredients along the table, standing side by side as they worked, Thancred slicing the vegetables into manageable pieces, while Carmine focused on grilling the mutton over the fire she had created. There was a certain strangeness that came with having Thancred beside her while cooking, the Viera unused to having to be mindful of her elbows because of someone being so close and working with a knife.

Conversation flowed easily between the two, as Thancred asked about her studies, while Carmine inquired about what mischief Thancred had been involved in. While he swore up and down that he was an upstanding citizen who never got into trouble, Carmine just smiled and reminded him that he spent far too much time in the tavern and in the beds of the women of Ul’dah to not be involved in mischief of some kind. 

With enough wheedling, she was able to pull the story from him from one of his most recent conquests, or at least a sanitized version, where he narrowly escaped getting caught by a member of the Syndicate, having spent the night in the company of the man’s lonely wife.

“That, my dear bard, is why you should avoid married women. You’re less likely to get in trouble… For the most part.”

Thancred laughed, back to the table as he leaned against it. “True, but where would the fun be in that? Besides, if there is a woman in need, what type of gentleman would I be if I did not aid her?”

“A sensible one.” Carmine pulled the mutton and the roasted vegetables from the fire, placing them on plates and topping the mutton with the mint jelly she had purchased. “And a not dead one.”

“Yes, well, I rather do like breathing.” Thancred waited until she grabbed her plate before gesturing to the fire. “Will you be putting that out? Or leaving it for ambiance?”

“I will leave it. It will go out on its own at some point.” While the table had chairs, the bed seemed do much more inviting to sit at, even with her books on it, so that was where Carmine placed herself, on the bed, uncaring that she still had her shoes on over the blankets, tucked in the corner, where she would be able to rest her plate and mint lassi on the windowsill beside her. Seeing Thancred staring at the table, she beckoned him towards the bed. “There’s more than enough room here.”

“Apparently.” Thancred glanced towards the previous contents of the table scattered at her feet, but still sauntered over, taking a seat beside her. “Shall we try your creation?”

“I think we shall, Mr. Waters.” Carmine took a bite of the dish they made together and found herself disappointed. The texture of the meat felt wrong, as though it was far too chewy, and the mint jelly did not blend with the vegetables the way she had hoped. She considered the dish passable, which was fine, but not what she hoped for with Thancred present.

“Not bad. Better than what we could have found downstairs, if we could have found anything.”

“I suppose so.” She kept her eyes on the plate as she finished her portion. At least the mint lassi met her expectations, as she trusted Katherine’s work. She looked towards the leftovers sitting on the table. They would make an adequate dinner the following evening, but it was not something she looked forward to eating.

Without her realizing it, the two of them had moved closer together, their arms brushing against each other. Thancred served as a nice solid presence beside her, as the skies of Ul’dah dimmed, and the moon rose to take its place in the heavens. A content sigh escaped her lips as she leaned into the warmth Thancred provided, eventually resting her head against his shoulder. 

She felt him move and then wrap an arm around her shoulder. It was to be one of those evenings, which played out in either of two ways, but ended up in her bed nonetheless. The difference was if clothes would remain on or not. However, right then, she cared little for which way things ended, more appreciative for the companionship than anything else.


	3. (Attempting to) Serenade You

“Lady who dances where shadows dwell,  
Please show mercy to a man such as I-”

Thancred lets the words linger under his breath as he tests out the rhythm and pictures how they may flow with the music he is starting to craft in his head. For the umpteenth time, he has repeated them and while on parchment they seem suitable, each repetition seems wrong.

“That doesn’t scan.”

“Excuse me?” Thancred casts a startled (and offended) glance towards Carmine, the Viera nose deep in her texts. The two of them are settled on her bed in the Hourglass, sitting opposite of each other, her against the wall and him leaning his back against the bookshelf at the foot of the bed. This is an all too common situation, to the point that Carmine leaves pillows at the foot of the bed just for him.

Carmine sighs and looks up from her book at him, resting a hand against the open pages. “The words you’ve been repeating for the past bell or so don’t scan. Repeating them won’t change a thing.”

“I don’t recall asking for your input.” He looks down at the words he has scribbled on the paper, words he has penned with her as his inspiration. Were he writing a song for anyone else, it would be easy. He has wooed more than his fair share of partners with ditties that he has created after a minute and two ales. “Nor do I recall you ever taking an interest in the art of music.”

“I have eyes, Thancred, and ears. And I have heard enough of your words to know what sounds pleasing from you.” She gives him a flat look. “And, that, is unpleasant to listen to. Especially during my studies. If you are planning to woo your next victim with that, I fear you may have a lonely night ahead of you.”

“Yes, well, it is a good thing that this song isn’t for you.” Thancred refrains from balling up the paper, not wanting his work to go to waste. If it does not suit her, then he will need to try something else.

“Thank the Twelve for that,” she murmurs, returning her attention to her books.

Later. He will try something later. Instead, he sets the parchment aside and works on a different song, one for one of the other lovely women who keep him company on a chilly Ul’dah night. It will work for any number of them, he’s certain and even looks forward to testing it out tonight, with slightly more appreciative company. 

“There once was a maid from Ul’dah…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Never tell your bard that their music sucks. 
> 
> Also, it is my headcanon that Thancred totally writes dirty limmericks.


End file.
